


Fish Tale

by BatchSan



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - No Sgrub Session, F/F, Species Swap, Witch Curses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-28
Updated: 2013-12-28
Packaged: 2018-01-06 11:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1106165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatchSan/pseuds/BatchSan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aranea happens upon a talking fish.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fish Tale

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Polluxander](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polluxander/gifts).



> When I read you liked specieswap and fantasy stuff, I couldn't stop picturing fish!Meenah. XD I hope you like!

In the wee hours after nightfall, Aranea was out for a walk along the shore. She had left the creature comfort of her books behind in lew of stretching her legs. Actually, she had done it because Porrim insisted she do something more progressive with herself than hide away in stacks of books as though she were preparing for some form of armaggeddonic event.

It was a cold night and Aranea scolded herself for forgetting a jacket. Her lusus would be furious with her if she caught a cold and failed to supple her with the large, demanding amount of food she required. On the bright side, special food delivery drones delivered her lusus' food, Aranea only had to do the unpleasant job of feeding her it. To be honest, she doubted most trolls could handle such a demanding lusus but Aranea was used to it. At least it provided her with the exercise she missed out on due to her spending hours on end lost in books.

Her lusus did not much like her bibliophiliac obsession but after several 'negotiations' involving Aranea facing the threat of being eaten by her lusus, they had worked things out and were on much better terms as of the last several sweeps.

"Hey."

Aranea started, surprised by the voice. She had no neighbors save Horuss but he usually kept to his castle down the way, only leaving it to ride his lusus through the woods in hopes of spying a musclebeast. She agreed musclebeasts were fine creatures of magnificance and beauty but it was clear Horuss' obsession of them rivaled her own obsession with books and knowledge.

Still, she found Horuss' obsession creepy. Most trolls did actually.

"Hello?" she called, seeing no one about.

"Yo, bubble, down here."

Looking at the sand around her brilliant red shoes, Aranea carefully surveyed the immediate area about her feet. Seeing nothing, she frowned and began to lift her head, spying movement from her periphiral in the water a few feet away. Turning, she laid her eyes on an unusual black fish with fushia colored eyes.

Aranea's knowledge of aquatic life wasn't as broad as her knowledge of say, the constellations or Beforus history from present to the very beginning of it's creation. She had a stack of aquatic based books sitting in the corner of hr respiteblock beside a stack of trashy rainbow drinker books Porrim had supplied her with - Aranea was saving them for a day she was really bored to read them. If she thought the fish would stay in its place, Aranea would have run back to her castle to retrieve them in order to identify the strange species of fish staring at her.

"'Bout flippin' time," the fish said.

"Oh, you really do speak!"

"No, I'm just glubbing here like a fucking fish, which I ain't really am," the fish said. "You wanna do me a favor or what, bubble?"

Curiosity peeked, Aranea knelt at the water's edge, holding her skirt above her knees to prevent it from getting wet each time the tide rolled over her feet. The fish, to her amusement, whistled as it peeked below her skirt.

"That wasn't the kinda favor I was gonna ask for, but I appreciate the offer, gilly."

"If I were a more naive troll, I would ask what species of fish you were but as you stated you aren't a fish and can speak, so the only appropriate question I can ask is why did a witch curse you to become a fish?" Aranea asked, leaning a knee into the surf to prevent the fish from seeing anymore of her underwear.

Surprised, the fish stared at Aranea cautiously.

"You're not a glubbin' witch too, are you?"

"No, but I've read much about them. A fascinating group they are - did you know several covens were founded in the 32nd sweep of the fourth empress of Beforus?"

"You don't glubbin' say?"

The sarcasm in the fish's voice either went unnoticed or ignored as Aranea proceeded to fill the fish in on the very fascinating history of witches. She went on so long that the fish ducked below the water and attempted to drown.

When the fish remembered drowning wasn't a viable suicide option, and since there were no tridents or spikes to impale itself on, the fish cleared its throat loudly and interrupted the troll.

"Wow, that's glubbin' amazin'! Mind clamming the flip up about it and helping me out now?" The fish just barely managed to shout at the troll.

A cerulean smile tipped Aranea's face.

"You've yet to tell me why you were transformed into a fish."

The fish glared at her. "You didn't shut up about them witch bitches long enough for me to get around to it!"

Aranea paused for a moment, nodding at the realization. "My apologies, go on."

"Finally! Look, bubble, the name's Meenah Peixes and I might've pissed off a rust-blooded witch bitch when I told her nothing but some hardcore true facts about the useless bitch she is. Seeing as how you know so glubbin' much about witches, maybe you know a way to get this curse off'a me?"

"Peixes? Then you're--"

The fish spat a stream of water at Aranea, hitting her bent horn.

"Shush up right there gilly," Meenah hissed, looking around to make sure they were still alone. "Can't let it get around that the princess got turned into a glubbing fish. Bad for business and whatever. Now about your witchy knowledge, glub?"

"I'm sorry to inform you that I don't know. I've only read about their history and rituals but how they reverse curses eludes my current range of knowledge, regretably."

The troll paused in thought for a moment before speaking again. "I do recall a passage about how many troll fairy tales originate from true events. Perhaps there's a tale about a foolish troll transformed by a witch somewhere."

The fish seemed to scowl at the indirect insult. "And this will help me how?"

"While most troll fairy tales end with the victim of their own follies either dead or learning a moral lesson, I'm sure there's at least one that explains how to reverse a witch's curse."

"You shore about that?"

"The probability is small but not impossible," Aranea said a little too brightly for Meenah's comfort.

"Ugh, whatever. Not like I got anything else better to glubbin' do," Meenah sighed. "So whatcha got?"

"As I recall, most of the troll fairy tales end with culling," Aranea said.

Meenah made a gagging noise that sounded like she was drowning.

"Fuck no. I can't stand all that cuddling bullshit."

"What if it's as simple as that though?"

"Then that rust-blood is even more cod-awful than I originally thought," Meenah sneered.

"Perhaps a potion will do the trick?" Aranea suggested.

"You gonna brew up one for me?"

"If I knew the ingredients for a reverse transformation potion I wouldn't mind trying. Unfortunately, as an average troll, I don't have the magical prowlness to make a potion effective," Aranea lamented.

The fish glubbed in annoyance, swimming around in a circle while wishing somebody more useful would come along and help her. As it was, this was the first troll she'd seen in weeks that hadn't immediately tried to kill and/or eat her on sight. Who would've guessed being a fish was hard with all the constant trying not to be eaten by every fucking thing in the fucking world?

"As I get the impression kindly requesting for the witch that did this to you to reverse it is not an option, the only other thing I can think of is a kiss." Aranea scowled in thought before nodding her head as if satisfied that she had carefully considered every possible solution, that she could preform or aid with, within her knowledge.

"A kiss?" Meenah asked before bursting into a fit of laughter. "That's legit the dumbest thing you've suggested gilly!"

"Then what do you propose?" the troll inquired, rocking on her heels to get the circulation in her legs moving again.

Meenah's laughter stopped abruptly and she floated silently at the top of the water for a long time. She'd been breaking her head to think of a way to fix this but she was out of ideas that didn't involve groveling to that rust-blooded bitch, which would never fucking happen. As a matter of fact, Meenah had been thinking of all the ways she was going to enjoy running sharp objects through her when, and if, she were ever a troll again.

"Fine," Meenah finally relented. "Guess it won't kill me, shore long as this isn't a clever ruse for you to eat me."

After assuring Meenah that her intentions were only helpful, they spent several moments trying to figure out how they would go about this. Finally, Aranea scooped Meenah up, marveling at the feel of her smooth scales against her palms. When she began telling Meenah all the possible types of fish she could possibly be, Meenah squirted her with a small jet of water hitting her nose.

"I don't give a carp, just kiss me before I suffocate!" The indignant princess cried out in annoyance.

Aranea paused.

"But if I kiss you," she said, "what lesson will you have learned?"

The fish stared at her blankly before asking, "What?"

"The witch transformed you for a reason."

"Yeah, because she's a bi--"

"I really doubt spite was the main reason for this," Aranea said.

Meenah was silent, her annoyance flaired than faltered as Aranea's words sunk in. She squirmed out of the troll's hands, flopping back into the water.

" You're right," Meenah admitted. "I deserved this. Real life ain't no troll fairy tale but I guess there's still a lesson I gotta glubbin' learn."

Nodding solemnly, Aranea was caught off-guard when the fish leapt up and pressed her mouth against the troll's cerulean lips. To both of their surprises, absolutely nothing happened.

"So much for that brilliant plan," Meenah glubbed sourly. "Maybe I really do deserve to stay this way."

She was surprised when the troll picked her up again, pressing the top of Meenah's head against her cheek in a soft nuzzle. To the fish's surprise, she felt the familiar tendrils of magic running through her body. Before she knew it the troll had dropped her back in the water where Meenah quickly transformed into her original body. Happy to be a troll again, the fushia blood hugged the other girl in her joy.

"That rust blood is wicked!" Meenah laughed. "Bitch knew I would never let anyone cull me."

"It was a lucky guess," Aranea said despite not being asked. "I'm Aranea, by the way."

"Thanks for the help, bubble," Meenah said before pressing a kiss to Aranea's mouth.

Blushing when they parted, looked down at the other troll.

"This has been an unusual fish tale," she stated. She was surprised when he other girl kissed her again mumbling 'fish tail' between giggles against her lips. "Also Meenah, you're naked," Aranea managed between breathes of air.

The heiress didn't seem to care or hear her as she continued kissing her savior.

Good thing Aranea had decided to go for a walk.


End file.
